


Willing to Try

by Ekyom



Series: Give it Time [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Healing, Self-Doubt, tags to be added as i think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-10-14 07:14:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20596829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekyom/pseuds/Ekyom
Summary: Spinel’s run away from home, unsatisfied with the palace life and how she’s been treated by the Diamonds. She had figured that if Steven could turn over an entire empire in two years, she could get them to like her in half the time. But change doesn’t come to those that sit by, and she figures it’s time to find her own healing in a place where everyone is always changing, and changing for the better.





	1. Skedaddle

It wasn't happening.

Nothing was happening.

Spinel waited for change, waited for something to snap into place and the palace to feel better, but nothing was snapping and certainly nothing was going into place. She had expected to feel better by now, and some aspects of that have gotten better. She didn’t feel so bad about her new room anymore. But other things were just the same, and if she had to be honest, getting worse as she followed Steven’s advice and gave it time.

Sure, the Diamonds were millennia-old beings who probably haven't changed all that much for others, but Spinel figured that if Steven could come in and turn over an entire empire within two years, she could just get them like her as herself in half that time. It was so much simpler of a task- so why wasn't it happening?

Nothing was right. Nothing was getting better.

It was... okay. Being in the care of the Diamonds, being there to amuse them, remind them of Pink, play jokes on the pearls, had many ups and downs. Since Steven's talk, she took the ups as plusses and the downs as they came, hoping beyond hope that eventually the Diamonds would stop thinking about her as a distraction to Steven being gone and a figure to absorb their grief and processing over Pink. She was going through the same thing too! But it still felt like all they wanted was something cheerful and silly to remind them of the little Diamond they lost so long ago.

Well, Spinel was tired of it.

Steven's talk of change really did get to her, then. Spinel hunched over the railing of the same balcony he talked to her on not all that long ago, watching gems down below pass by with no concern or consideration, or even noticing, the morose gem as she moped and thought of her plight. Expecting change out of herself was hard enough, but now knowing the pain of thinking others wouldn’t even bother to change for her struck a particularly hard facet of her gem. She wasn’t good enough to be changed for. She was barely succeeding at being good at all, if her stuffed-away remaining frustration was anything to go by. Spinel was just barely holding on to her own composure, and that’s because the Diamonds would be mighty disappointed at least and quite angry at most if she lashed out violently now. She still felt it inside her though, that raw hurt that just wasn’t going away, and the Diamonds were doing very little to fix it.

She couldn’t stick around, thats for sure. Yeah, she could continue with Steven’s advice and keep trying to give them time, but with no progression in their view of her over the year-and-some she was starting to lose that will of patience. She gave six thousand years of it, and wasn’t really in the mood to give a thousand more.

Then she figured- she had to go.

It wasn’t like she’d been too many places other than the Garden, the Earth and Homeworld. She wasn’t much in the mood or mindset to go meeting new gems or visit new worlds either. She didn’t necessarily want to be alone, but knew that if she found another friend they would just end up disregarding her too if she kept sticking to how she was now. She wanted to start over, but not if it would end with them leaving her.

But where to go? And what to do? Despite all her time here, she still had a lot to address and playing with the Diamonds only delayed it, never really fixing that hole forged there through abandonment. She still found herself with regret and shame over what she had done in misplaced rage.

Maybe it would be better to just… give herself time to process, instead of filling every day with distraction.

That sounded about right.

Her leaving Homeworld was far less of an elegant affair that had very little thought process behind it. Spinel peeked around the corner into the throne room, scoping out the scenario to make a break for the warp pad in the middle of the room. Unluckily, it seemed all three Diamonds were there, preparing for another broadcast. Yellow was talking about the results of stopping another planet colony, Blue admitting to having been quite near shattering another group of gems. White merely looked over the whole affair, waiting patiently for the pearls to announce the broadcast was about to begin.

Spinel thought for a moment to back down, to head back to her room and try the whole ‘give it time’ thing one more try, but figured this would be the only time she’d be able to do this for a long while.

So, she wound up her arms, took aim, and sprung towards the warp pad in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, the Diamonds were very surprised to see her there.

“Spinel!”

“We’re about to have a broadcast, what are you doing here?”

Spinel landed just short of the warp pad from her launch, skidding off the floor and taking a few more running steps to get to it.

“_Sorryleftsomethingonearthrunning, gottogoturnitoffbye_!”

And she tapped a foot onto the warp pad to get it started, heading to really the only warp location on Earth she knew of.

Steven’s.


	2. Where the First Rose Lies

It was dark outside when Spinel warped onto Earth. Through the glass dome Steven’s warp pad was in, the stars shone through the holes in clouds that looked like a storm had passed earlier that day. It was quiet, with only the sound of the ocean hitting against the shore. The peace was a little unnerving.

There was no sign of Steven, or any of the other Crystal Gems for that matter. However with it being in the middle of the night and a warp being rather bright, she was sure it wouldn’t be long until someone came to investigate who came in, especially in through Steven’s personal galaxy warp.

Spinel quietly snuck right out of there. Barely paying mind to the strange things around her, memories cropped up of the last two times she had been here, and pushed back tears. She couldn’t stay and think about that now. She couldn’t think about her time being reverted or coming back from the Garden only to double-cross the Crystal Gems.

She remembered the way clearly, having been through twice, but declined going through the home- no doubt Steven was inside. Instead she curled an eye around the corner to peep, make sure nobody was there beforehand, and leapt off the stairs to the sand below. She looked back to the house, not really having thought much further than this point.

Where to go? What to do?

Well, doing something was always better than doing nothing. Spinel turned away, making her way down the beach.

She started following the shoreline, kicking at the sand occasionally as the stars in the moonless sky twinkled and reflected in the water. She didn’t really get to see this last time she was here- most of the night was spent at the concert, or running off back to the Garden, or fighting to prove a point. It really was nice, seeing that endless horizon reflecting every point of light twinkling and shining above her.

“Wonder which one ‘a those is Homeworld.” There were so many up there. The view of the sky wasn’t nearly as clear back in the palace. The planet never went dark like this, so the galaxy beyond the atmosphere was nearly impossible to see beyond the colored haze of the lights. The Garden’s sky was a different story- there was no real atmosphere to make the stars look like they did from a planet’s surface.

Spinel walked along the water until she couldn’t any longer, faced with cliffs that stretched high above the town and beach around her. It was no difficulty for her to spring to the top, and sit at the edge swinging her feet back and forth.

She didn’t want to be alone, but at this point anyone she could think of already had some opinion of her, most likely negative. She didn’t really deserve the company anyhow, not after what she had done here the last time she was on Earth and now that she thought about it, not after having left the palace in such a hurry.

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to leave. She didn’t even get to say goodbye- didn’t _bother _to say goodbye. She just ran off, just like Pink did to her, just left with no explanation and with no regard for how they would feel- she left them behind, she didn’t _think_, she should go back right that instant and apologize and just give them a little more time-

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

Spinel nearly jumped out of her skin and ran at the sound of the gem behind her. She hadn’t heard anyone approach- but, maybe, was too distracted by the ocean to really be paying attention. There weren’t any accusations flying, or dramatic gasps happening, so Spinel figured this gem just didn’t recognize her.

“It sure is somethin’.” She didn’t recognize this gem either, and it was dark, so couldn’t see her all too well anyhow. That was a good thing Spinel supposed, as this mystery gem couldn’t see her either. She did manage to see the gem walk over to the cliffs too, though, and sit at the edge close enough to Spinel to keep up conversation, but not so close as to make her more uncomfortable than she already is. “Who are you?”

“You must be one of the gems from Homeworld. Name’s Biggs.” She offered a hand to shake, but when Spinel only eyed it and hesitated with a handshake back Biggs retracted respectfully. “...” Spinel wasn’t all that wild about giving off her own name. Sure, it was one thing to not be recognized in the dark. But the second it got out she was back through even giving Biggs her name, things could go downhill quick. Word would reach Steven really quickly.

“You don’t have to say anything back. That’s alright.” Biggs leaned back to look across the sea, both gems noticing the smallest bit of light over the horizon. It would be awhile, but the sun was going to rise. “Sunrises on earth are the most beautiful, I think. It always seems like a new day.”

“It sure ain’t the _same_ day.” Spinel snarked a little. Biggs just laughed, an explosion of mirth that Spinel honestly wouldn’t have expected from such a little rib. Still, something felt nice about it.

“Yeah, yeah I guess you’re right!” A few moments passed of silence. Spinel started getting nervous- was she supposed to say something? Not say something? Her hesitance over starting more conversation lead to a long pause, the two just watching the stars together. Questions popped up in her head almost ready to ask- how was the Earth doing after the last time she was here? How is everybody? Spinel kept her silence though, figuring the gem would eventually put the pieces together if Spinel started asking very suspiciously ordered questions.

How long would this gem hang around anyway?  
An answer came when Biggs started getting up, stretching her arms over her head a bit. Through what little light was gaining in the sky, Spinel could see the spikes coming out of Biggs’ head like horns. That was a little weird, but who was she to judge.

“I’m headed back to Little Homeworld. Want to tag along, stranger?”

The question sent Spinel into a panic. She couldn’t go back, didn’t want to go back. That was the second biggest place she wanted to avoid, maybe even the 1.5th place she didn’t want to go considering those other gems- Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot- would no doubt be around. They would see her, recognize her.

“_No.­_” Spinel responded a little sharper than she intended, on the brink of yelling. She backtracked quickly. “I just… need to think. Need to work on some stuff.”

“Ok, ok. But if you want to be alone for that, this is a bad place to do it.” Biggs offered her hand again, this time to let Spinel up on her feet.

“Know any place better?”

The second time Spinel used a warp on Homeworld, it was to some direction or another that Biggs pointed her at. The large gem took her through, the place they ended up much, much brighter than the nighttime they left. All around them, pink flowers bloomed in the sunlight. Green grass was newly cropping up around the warp pad, signaling it was a relatively new installation. The air smelled sweet, though not sickeningly so that Spinel had to cover her nose.

At being in the light, at being recognizable, Spinel almost panicked. Biggs ignored it, instead just starting to wade through the flowers.

“Don’t look at me! Don’t- don’t tell anyone I’m here!” This caused Biggs to pause, turning back and seeing who the little gem she’s been spending time with was. Spinel covered her face, but it was too late- Biggs already knew.

“The little Spinel who did the latest attack on Earth?” Spinel shrank away from the accusation. Surprised at the ‘latest’ attack on Earth, but ashamed all the same for her attempt.

“Please don’t tell anyone I’m here. I can’t- I can’t face the Crystal Gems again. I can’t face _Steven_ again. I did so much to hurt them, I-“

She was stopped, by Biggs’ large hand on her shoulder. Spinel stopped dead in her tirade, fear and shame bolting straight through her as she awaited whatever Biggs was going to do to her after such a revelation. She wound her arms around herself, ready for whatever punishment Biggs had in store. It wasn’t like she could go unscathed, after all.

“I won’t say a word.” Spinel snapped her head up to look at the quartz, surprise showing through her wide eyes.

“Promise?” It was childish, believing this gem, but honestly what other hope did she have?

Biggs continued. “Promise. What kind of friend would I be if I broke a promise?” She offered her pinkie out, and figuring it was some kind of Earth ritual, Spinel unwrapped herself and wound her own finger around it. “See? Pinkie promise. Can’t ever back out of those.”

\--

Spinel had made Biggs promise not to be gone too long, if only to make sure wherever this place was she didn’t stay alone. The quartz merely gave a wide smile and a nod, waggling her pinkie at the small gem knowingly. A pinkie promise.

Biggs warped away, giving instructions for other warp pads around Earth that wouldn’t lead back to the Crystal Gems any time soon- but gave the location for Little Homeworld, just in case she was in the mood to visit. Spinel took the directions with rueful acceptance, still put off but hopeful about Biggs calling her a friend. She made her way through the pink flowers, following a small path already carved amongst them as she thought.

Biggs hardly knew her. She knew of Spinel’s attack, yes, but still barely knew her. Despite that the was quick to call Spinel a friend, and that struck a very confusing chord. Spinel loved friends, she craved someone who valued her for being herself. She wasn’t a very good self in front of Biggs, a little mopey and to be honest a little snarky, and very much scared, but Biggs still accepted her anyhow, not caring that she wasn’t the cheery gem she was meant to be.

That felt… nice.

The flowers started to clear away around Spinel as she rounded the corner, the bushes too tall to see where she was going. A large, pink structure faced her, sideways and overgrown with the same flowers that surrounded it. A few marks of others having been here crowded around the clearing in front of it- some wilted picked flowers, some scratches on the ground. A few small gifts. A collection of different reactions gone by, and as Spinel realized where she was and what this thing represented, she herself had the urge to demolish it on sight.

Pink’s Palanquin. She’d never seen it in person before, but seeing Blue’s gave her a fine idea of what this one was. Anger and frustration rose at the thought of the Diamond that once owned this, once rode around and had been in it all the while leaving Spinel behind in the Garden. She almost wound back to give it a hit, to vent out some kind of frustration on it, but knew that destroying it wouldn’t make her feel better at all.

Sadness, soon, squashed it down. This is where Pink went, without her. Without a friend that cared so much for her. Still cares, even now after Pink was long, long gone.

Spinel forced herself to move, walking one step at a time to approach the palanquin. Biggs must have known what this place meant to her, surely could have guessed the chance that the monument could be gone by the time she came back. Spinel hesitated at the steps to the structure, not wanting to end up inside and destroy something obviously memorable for everybody. Instead she just sat at the first step.

She sat there, thinking about Pink. Thinking about what she did, and why she couldn’t be good enough. Why nobody liked her.

No, that wasn’t true. Biggs liked her just fine.

But why?

In her consideration, Spinel didn’t notice a small, blue butterfly land on her shoulder.


	3. From a Crack to a Canyon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinel and Biggs hang out at the Palanquin.

It was no more than a half hour by the time Biggs came back, the sound of the warp knocking Spinel out of the dangerous spiral of self-doubt that she could guess would start to get worse without the distraction of entertainment. As she noticed the now dozen butterflies that had landed on her, she waved them off furiously, managing somehow to avoid every one and have them settle right back on her again.

Biggs was tall enough to look over the flowers, spotting Spinel and holding up a bag triumphantly. As she approached, it only took one good wave of the jasper’s hand to dissuade and scatter the blue bugs.

"Sorry that took awhile! Went to go get some doughnuts." Biggs jingled the bag a little, triumphant smile bright as the sun. “Believe me, you do _not_ want to know how hard that is without money.”

"I... I wanted to be alone." She _deserved _ to be alone.

"Nah, you didn't." Biggs sat next to Spinel on the edge of the palanquin, digging through the doughnut bag and putting one in her mouth before offering another to the smaller gem. "Know how to eat?"

Spinel looked at the treat in the larger gem’s hand, unsure whether she was really allowed to take it. "I've done it before."

She remembered the last time she had doughnuts, a snagged snack from Steven that she probably hadn’t deserved at the time. She took the offered treat anyhow, letting the overwhelming sweetness of it bring her up just a little from the dull mood. She didn’t know what the flavor was called, but grimaced as she wiped some fruity jam the same color off her cheek.

“This probably wasn’t the best place to bring you.” Biggs admitted through a mouthful of doughnut. “A lot of gems used to come here after we were uncorrupted, learned the truth about Rose. A lot were… angry. Others were right on up there at surprised.” Biggs held out a finger for one of the butterflies to land on. “Most outside gems that come here to hurt the Earth are mad at Rose, or Pink, or both.” Spinel looked away, curling up. She didn’t want to be reminded of that particular mistake. “She wasn’t perfect, and we know that now. But no matter what she did in the past, she gave us a gift- the gift of knowing we can change.”

“I don’t want to think about her.” Spinel growled out, feeling tears well up in her eyes. “I _can’t_ think about her. Not after what she did.”

“Then why stay here?”

Spinel hesitated, looking over her shoulder up to the bright pink monument. Besides asking Biggs to come back, and performed the pinkie promise that she would be there when the gem returned, there wasn’t really much of a reason. This place only made her feel worse- so why stay?

“I didn’t know where else to go. I can’t go home, the Diamonds don’t- they just see me as some replacement. A distraction.” She took another bite of the doughnut, not regarding how a puff of sugar went over her face. “I just wanted to start over with someone.”

“Perfect place to begin again, then.” Biggs leaned back against the wall of the palanquin, facing up towards the sky. “All of us used to be something. Used to be a soldier, used to be a court member. Used to be an entertainer.” She couldn’t see it, but Spinel could have sworn Biggs winked at that. “The Earth changes you. Sets you free. Bad things happen, bud, but here… we can heal from them.”

“I healed from guilt at hurting others while corrupted, you can heal from a broken heart.”

“I… I can’t. Nothing can change how I feel.” She brushed the sugar puff off her face. Spinel knew she wouldn’t heal so easily- what broke her ran so deep, a fissure turned from a crack to a canyon. Distraction at the palace didn’t help all that much, it only made her ignore the problem even more. She turned her face away as she could feel more, feel that loneliness that seeing the palanquin had brought to her.

“Hang around a little while.” Biggs said it just a little too quickly, just a little too dismissively for Spinel’s taste. “See what happens with a bit of patience.”

Spinel furrowed her brows, thinking on it. She didn’t want to be patient. She had spent so much of it already, so much on someone else that surely there was barely any left for herself. Could Biggs guess how much Spinel was hurting?

Did she care?

“No, you don’t _GET_ it!” Spinel slammed her hand on the floor of the palanquin, hard enough to ring the structure like a bell. Biggs jumped, startled by the sudden outburst. “I’m tired of feeling like this, I’m tired of hurting. She did this to me, Biggs, and I can’t ever forgive that!” Spinel jumped up from her seat, an off comment to her turning things from okay to worse. She walked past the gifts and marks of other gems, and started to tear at the flowers. Flowers so, so similar to those at the Garden. “She did all this, she did _so much_ without me there, and threw me away like some- some boring toy!” She hated it here, hated this reminder that stood so far against the test of the time and even celebrated by other gems that saw Pink as something great. Saw her as someone else entirely.

With one bush too destroyed to continue the assault, Spinel spun to look at the palanquin. Even looking at it, she knew she hated it. Knew she wanted it gone.

Make it go _away_.

“Whoa, Spinel- Spinel!” She didn’t notice when Biggs ran over, barely paid attention to when her fists grew enough to smash the monument to pieces. She could barely feel the tears flowing down her cheeks like rivers, or the windup to make this horrible place go away.

Biggs just moved in front of her, waving hands up in the air in the universal ‘calm down’ motion. “It’s ok, bud. It’s going to be ok.” Spinel blinked, finally seeing what she was doing. What was she _doing_?

Staggering back, letting herself fall to the ground and her hands to fall in heaps of arms that noodled around her, she heaved with breaths she certainly didn’t need but had all the same. Choked, broken laughter bubbled up through her throat and snagged. Biggs kneeled down in front of her to block the view, taking the chance to put a hand on the small gem’s shoulder.

“Breathe in with me, ok?”

And they breathed.

Spinel slowly calmed down, feeling her anger melt away and frustration delve back to the crevice it kept a home in. The feeling of abandonment still remained, that loneliness she was sure would never go away no matter how much she worked at it.

“But even with all this,” She managed to continue the thought, “I still miss her. I still want her to… to come around the corner, to laugh and say sorry, she just got a little caught up in something.” Spinel wiped tears away from her cheeks, ruefully giggling despite the frustration. “She’ll never come back, though. I’ll never get to see my first friend again, and I hate it. Isn’t that just the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard?”

It was at this point her voice cracked an octave and she gave up, giving in to crying and pulling at her hair. Biggs sat down on the ground with her, being there for her, and making sure Spinel didn’t hurt herself by unwinding her springy hands from her hair and holding them as she kept company to the broken gem.


	4. A Glass Bottle with Rainbow Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinel and Biggs find a place to hide out for the day.

Biggs rubbed large, comforting circles on Spinel’s back as the smaller gem started to calm down. She’d taken her back to the warp, not looking back or bothering to clean up the destroyed flowers and plants Spinel had left behind. It would just be chalked up to some gems roughhousing and crushing it. Again.

At this point Spinel was a pile of stretched, loose limbs, covering her face and refusing to even look up at Biggs. She was already messing up so bad with this new gem, and they hadn’t even known each other a day. She didn’t want to have done that in front of Biggs, or anyone else for that matter. Spinel thought she was over these particularly big shows of emotion, but apparently not.

“Feeling a little better?” Biggs didn’t hesitate to ask once there was a sign that Spinel was coming back and calming down. She just shrugged.

“I dunno.” She sniffled. “Maybe I shouldn’t even try. I should just go back home and be happy with what I’ve got.” The palace didn’t seem like such a bad place right after doing something like that.

“Why did you leave in the first place?”

“Because they wouldn’t treat me the way I wanted to be.” She wilted just a little more, ashamed at wanting something from the Diamonds. It seemed selfish just to say it out loud. “It was fun, playing around with them and the pearls and… everyone else. I shoulda been happy with that.”

“But you weren’t.” Biggs moved from rubbing circles into the smaller gem’s back, to squeezing her shoulder supportively. “And now you’re here.”

“Lot of good that’s doing me so far.”

“Just some bad beginner’s luck. Come on.” Biggs stood, dusting herself off from the few sprigs of leaves sticking to her and offering her hand, once again, to Spinel. “Let’s go somewhere else that isn’t so… Rose-related. Anywhere you want.”

\---

Little Homeworld was bustling this time of early morning. More nocturnal gems- relative, considering very few actually slept- were passing through along with the day gems, continuing the last components of the town that needed to be constructed. The square where the warp was located tended to be busy, but everyone knew everyone else here, so nobody blinked when Biggs warped in.

“Biggs!” a few gems called out, waving to the jasper. She waved back, being careful not to jostle Spinel hiding out in her giant mass of hair.

“D’ya see ‘em?” Spinel whispered, doing her best to resist peeping and concentrating on hanging on. Biggs moved away from the warp, away from the center of town.

“Nope. Shhh- Hey, Tiger’s Eye!” Biggs acted casual, greeting and cajoling with all sorts of different familiar gems. Spinel lost count at the fourteenth- Biggs really was pretty popular, huh.

Biggs walked them both out of the square and into the corridors-turning-streets of the smaller buildings surrounding the tower. With less noise happening, Spinel could assume there were fewer gems around wherever they were.  
“What about now?” Spinel anxiously questioned.

“No sign. Come on out.”

Spinel didn’t come out of the mass of hair so much as melt out, squashing on the floor before bouncing back up to stand next to Biggs. Looking one way then the other, even going so far as to stretch to look around the corner they came from, Spinel’s nerves were at an all-time high. This was dangerous.

“I’m surprised you were fine with coming back here. Heard you did a number on Bismuth’s tower over there.” Biggs lead the way.

“I’m a little more comfortable with… minor property damage. Over other things.” Spinel admitted. “And it isn't like any gems here know who I am just by lookin'."

They navigated through the streets and corridors of Little Homeworld, Spinel doing little more than staying a step behind Biggs in case she needed to hide in her hair again. She twiddled her fingers with anxiety, the feeling of almost being discovered more and more prevalent as they went on.

“Where are we going?” She had asked Biggs to go somewhere safe, at the palanquin, but being out in this kind of open was starting to make her regret such a vague request.

“Someplace quieter, where nobody can see you.”

Biggs rounded one last corner before finally reaching a pale-green colored wall. She looked back to make sure Spinel was still there, giving her a wide grin.

“Come on!” And she leapt up to the roof of it. Spinel was a little surprised by this, but sprung up to follow anyhow.

On the roof were two lawn chairs, looking to be at dramatically different stages of wear and use. Between them was a large potted plant, a glass orb stuck into the dirt. On the side was a roof access door big enough even for Biggs. While no other gems were on the roof, they could both still look out over the rest of Little Homeworld, others flitting around in their own activities of the early morning.

“_Here_?”

“Nope.” Biggs went to the roof access door, turning the knob and opening it with little flourish. She waved Spinel over. “Over in here.”

The lights turned on as Spinel and Biggs went inside and down a short staircase. The room opened up around them, floor to ceiling windows letting in what morning sunlight there is. It may have been just one big room, but the sunken conversation couch on one side and the shelves on the other suggested this was more than just a place to pass through.

It was messy- what else was to be expected from a quartz- but it was nice. Spinel couldn’t blame Biggs for any of that, it wasn’t like her own room back on Homeworld was any better.

“Huh?”

“My room. Got dibs on the rooftop access when we were building.” A few more lights flipped on as the two of them walked in. It seemed like a majority of the stuff inside was some kind of hodgepodge of items Biggs had come across and collected over the time she spent uncorrupted; bobbles and mementos dotted nearly every surface above the floor.

"Ohhh..." Spinel marveled, looking at the bookshelf dotted with things no doubt Biggs has collected over time. Seashells, pieces of spun glass, a couple craft knives. "Where'd ya get this stuff?" Spinel poked at a squishy ball that held all sorts of differently shaped glitter suspended inside.

"Here and there." Biggs grinned, reaching to the top to straighten a small plant that had started to turn towards the sunlight coming through the windows. "There isn't anything too deep about most of it, just thought they were pretty." Spinel grabbed one of the knives, looking the blade up and down to inspect the interesting pattern native to the metal.

"What's up with this one?"

"That's Damascus steel."

"And this thing?”

"That's a shell I found in... uh. Somewhere tropical?" Biggs shrugged. "It was a beach."

Spinel’s anxiety of being found out fell back as she looked over all the small treasures. Each one was amazing, an interesting thing that caught her curiosity. One, in particular, caught her eye.

“That one’s nice!” Before Biggs could stop her, Spinel reached up to grab it for inspection. A glass bottle, inside holding some amount of water that shone four prominent colors in the light.

“Don’t touch that one!” Biggs snatched it away, scaring Spinel and making her shrink back. “That one’s off limits.”

“…Oh.” Spinel looked to the others and backed off. If that one was off limits, who’s to say she wouldn’t be scolded again for looking at any others? She visible drooped and shrank back, just a little shorter than a moment before. “I’m sorry.”

Biggs heard the hurt in Spinel’s voice. She quickly realized what she had done, sighing deeply and collapsing into one side of the couch, bottle still in hand.“No, I’m sorry. It’s just… this is the water that healed us when we all were corrupted.” She motioned for Spinel to join her in the seat. Spinel’s hesitation at joining the gem definitely made Biggs feel pretty bad. “I don’t ever want to go back to being like… like that again. A monster.” She looked down at the bottle in her hands. “So I keep this, in case…”

Biggs didn’t realize a tear fell until she felt Spinel’s hand stretched over to wipe it away. She halfheartedly patted it, but didn’t bother to dissuade Spinel’s attempt at comfort.

“What happened to ya?” She might as well listen, if Biggs has been doing the same to her all morning.

So Biggs explained.

She told the story, her own side of it. Being on the battlefield when the song fell and she could feel herself slipping away, twisting her mind into pain and anger at anything she faced. She told Spinel about how confused she was, how hurt and lonely and scared while up in the snow. Despite being near other corrupted monsters, she was always looking for that missing piece the song took from her. Spinel listened to it all, thinking on just how similar it was to herself. Sure, different circumstances, but… it wasn’t all that different.

“When I found out Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond… Well, I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t the happiest cut of the batch.” Biggs laughed a little. “To be made for Pink as a soldier, then thinking I rebelled against her but still… fighting for her? Fighting for Rose? I felt tricked.” Biggs placed the bottle on the small table in the middle of the sunken couch. “I felt like my choice didn’t matter.”

The room went quiet, only the whir and bustle outside making it through the windows any sound. Wordlessly, Spinel stood and scooted to sit next to Biggs. The larger gem gave her a sad, easy smile.

“Guess we’ve both got something on the mind.”

Biggs opened her arms out for a hug, shaking the mane of hair out of the way as she squeezed Spinel close to her. At first Spinel froze, not having been hugged so genuinely and with someone around her own size in quite some time. She eased into it as a moment passed, winding her own arms around Biggs once, twice, three times to return the favor. Biggs reached to her own face and pulled her hair out of the hug, revealing one of her eyes and a horn growing off the brow just above it.

They both were affected by Pink’s mistakes.

Spinel clung to her tighter, the reciprocating pressure of the strong gem making her feel better.

“You matter, Biggs.”

“You matter too, Spinel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some kind of mutual support for the both of them. A lot's happened to the corrupted gems, there's no way the wound would be healed so easily- especially for a very trusting and friendly gem like Biggs!


	5. Breathe

“I have to go help some others outside.” Biggs started pulling curtains over the windows, tying them off and making sure nobody could see through them from the outside. Some dust flew up as the curtains drifted closed- it wasn’t something she did often. “We’re on the last bits of town, and everyone’s real excited to get it finished.”

“What… what about me?” Spinel didn’t like the lack of sunlight. It felt too closed off, too dark even with the artificial light coming down from overhead.

“You can stick around here until I get back.”

This was longer than a half hour. This was a different place than out in the open. This was an entirely different scenario altogether, being alone in someone else’s space while they were gone, surrounded by gems she didn’t want knowing she was there.

Not to mention all these things, all these wonderful things Biggs has been collecting. What if she did what she almost had before, and destroyed the place over some small reminder or another that sent her over the edge?

“That’s a lotta trust you’re putting in a stranger.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m trusting a friend, then.” Spinel snapped her head up to see Biggs’ smile, wide and beaming. It wasn’t hopeful in the same way Spinel’s was that she returned- it was confident, knowing that what she said she believed wholeheartedly. It twisted Spinel up inside.

“We’re friends?” They barely knew each other a day.

“I’d say so.”

Nobody ever told her _first_ that they were friends. It was always her, pushing it onto someone else. Before, she claimed to be a best friend. Lately, it was just pal status with most gems. But Biggs, a friend?

She could try. She could hold it together long enough for a friend to get back. Spinel buried herself as far into the couch cushions as she could physically go, watching Biggs start to turn lights off and head for the door.

“I’ll be back. Promise.”

Biggs never broke a promise.

\--

Spinel pushed past the initial panic of being alone within an hour and a half, and found herself bored and walking around the apartment space. Not touching anything that looked particularly important, peering around the drawn curtains to the gems outside. She didn’t see Biggs anywhere, but could guess from faint construction sounds in the distance where the jasper was.

The shelves held so many different trinkets, plenty Spinel wanted to look at closer but forbade herself in case they were special like the healing water was. In a couple cases she really doubted it- a wood box filled with white sand, a book with all kinds of flowers pressed and peeking out the sides- and others, like an orange bubble with shards in it, she could tell would be far better not to even think about.

Over time, loneliness started to settle in. Not abandonment just yet- Biggs would come back, she had to- but having nobody to distract her, no-one to perform for or spend time with, opened the door again for the self-reflection she came to Earth for. At this point, however, she was trying to avoid getting into anything that would set her off out of respect for Biggs, so shoved every thought away as they came.

It had been some time since she was last truly, honestly alone. Even in the palace she had pebbles around to distract her if the Diamonds or pearls were nowhere to be seen. At the palanquin, there was uncertainty whether other gems would warp in. Here, there was nobody. It was scary. It was uncomfortable.

She was starting to lose it and consider snatching a candy from off the shelf just for something to _do_ when she heard voices coming from the other side of the door Biggs had left. Laughter, jovial bantering. Spinel took it as other gems being there, and immediately dived into the couch cushions to hide away.

From her spot she heard Biggs loudly proclaim through the door.

“Oh yeah, hold on a second. I just have to _MAKE SURE NOTHING’S OUT OF PLACE_.” Spinel took the hint, and hid even further, stretching and squashing to perfectly fit in the crevices she found. Unless someone sat on her, there was no way they could see.

She heard as the door opened and the bubbly gems immediately got louder. Biggs was laughing as well, loud and unabashed with them. One of them was telling the last remnants of a joke, a punchline Spinel didn’t understand.

“Hey Biggs, are you sure you don’t want to come tonight?”

“Yeah, I heard Sadie Killer is performing! You love that band!”

Spinel remembered going to one of their concerts before. She knew it was a lot of fun, being there with live music and the dancing crowd. Her mood sank- it would be so great for Biggs to go, but that would just leave the pink gem alone longer.

“Nah, I can’t guys. I’ve got other plans!” A round of ‘oooooh’s followed. “And I gotta get ready for it. See you for painting your place, Tiger?”

“You know it! Catch you later, Biggs.”

“Yeah, see you!”

As soon as she heard the door close Spinel was up and out, springing from the couch and tapping a foot impatiently. Biggs didn’t really act surprised though- if anything, she was more bemused.

“Took ya time, huh?”

“Sorry ‘bout that, bud. Serpentine got into a bit of mischief we had to fix up, but nothing too serious.”

The first thing she did was open up the curtains for the windows again. Bright, beautiful sunset light tinted the room warm colors. Spinel didn’t know _that_ much time had passed.

“Heard you turn down your _friends_-“ She worked so, so hard not to sound bitter about it, “-to a concert.”

“Well yeah, I had other plans.”

Biggs untied her hair from the working ponytail she had come in with and let it fall, cascading to near her ankles. A little construction debris drifted out as she shook the mane out.

“Hop on in, let’s get to the warp.”

“The _warp?_”

“Yup!” Biggs scanned over a shelf, murmuring to herself before cheering a small ‘ah-hah!’ and grabbing a bundled stack of paper currency. She stored it away in her gem, safe for later. “You seem like you need to unwind. I’m taking you someplace fun!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a hard time with this one. We needed a quiet moment for Spinel, before things start to happen again next chapter.  
Thanks so much for reading everyone!!


	6. Light up the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biggs takes Spinel out to see the sights.

Wherever Biggs warped them to, Spinel guessed it wasn’t so far away as the light of the day was still fading here. They had come to some spattering of trees, but something about the atmosphere felt like there was more to it than just this. Through the leaves, lights of all sorts of colors reflected off the clouds, brighter even than the orange of the sunset. A low hum permeated the air that felt thick with incoming evening fog.

The larger of the two gems lead the way down a short worn path, Spinel following with only a little hesitation and even resisted looking back at the warp. Biggs had assured her there would be no other gems- and at this point, Spinel trusted that was the case.

As they crested the top of the hill and saw what the lights were about, Spinel would have turned 180 and gone right back to the warp pad if she had the choice just from sound alone. Even from this distance, the bright and bustling city down the hill screamed 'overwhelming'.

It was loud.

It was crowded.

There wouldn't be any other gems.

"I don't know about being around so many people at once." Had she even been in a room with more than a couple dozen or so others at a time? It was hard to say. The most she could think off in the moment was when Yellow and Blue’s courts had come to the palace. “Looks like a lot.”

"Are you sure?" Spinel nodded. "Okay. I'll see you in a bit then."

"WHAT?"

She bounded after the jasper that had already started heading down the hill. “You can’t just leave me behind! Leave me _alone_!”

“I’m not going to make you do what you don’t want to do.” Biggs stopped, an unmovable force as Spinel comically bounced off her. “But I’m also not going to spend a whole night back at my place, watching you worry. You’ve gotta have a break every now and then!”

She was right. She was right and Spinel wasn’t a fan of it. The small gem rubbed at her arm, at a loss for words for trying to defend herself.

"It's a lot." Biggs conceded to the silence. “I’m asking a lot from you. But just give it a try, and if you really don't like it we can go."

Spinel thought about it. Sure, she had never been in such a crowded place. Yes, she was scared of getting lost in a place she didn’t know. But Biggs had done so much for her, and compromise was a friend thing- so, she would try it.

“Alrighty.” Spinel nodded, determined now in her choice. “I’ll go with ya.”

\---

Despite herself, Spinel wondered at the bright and eye-catching streets they wandered down. All kinds of shops and restaurants fought for attention, whether through interesting wares or particularly clever advertising on the outside. Spinel may not have been able to read any of it- she was really only fluent in Gem writing- she knew from the bright signs and neon words that everything was some lure or another. She hadn’t ever seen anything like this before.

She and Biggs were surrounded by humans, as well. Wherever they were in the bold city, it seemed to be a hot spot for what Spinel assumed were younger humans- they didn’t look too much older than Steven the last time she saw him. Many of them, also, wore bright and eye-catching clothes, others more casual and comfortable wear. She figured it was a human thing. They all kind of looked the same, what with having a generally warm palette. Being an individual would have to be a self-sought-out mission.

“Biggs?” Spinel managed to say over the loud noise. While the large gem wasn’t interacting with anybody, she wandered with leisure, ignoring any strange looks she may have gotten from her pattern. It boiled Spinel up inside- why would anyone stare? “Biggs, where are we going?”

“Dunno. Let’s try to hunt down a penny arcade!”

And that began their night.

All over the entertainment district the two roamed, dipping into every arcade they could spy. Biggs was deceivingly good at claw games, and Spinel was finding herself storing more and more little toys and novelties away in her gem. Further inside the amusement arcades, Spinel found her own knack for more physically involving games. Dancing, testing reflexes, even the strength ones she battered down with ease, racking up tickets that Biggs used for prizes she claimed were ‘going on the shelves’.

Spinel didn’t try to think very hard about the little spark of joy at the thought of something she won for Biggs being displayed amongst all those other special items.

Their adventures weren’t limited to arcades, either. With the excitement of the city nearly erasing the anxieties Spinel had, she found herself wandering more and more into different kinds of stores. Most of them were of human accessories and clothes, something she personally didn’t need but Biggs insisted on trying on anyway. She didn’t take the jasper for the type to like dresses, as their clothing adventures and dressing room montages went on. Spinel supposed she didn’t expect to like the large, oversized clothes and flashy hats as much as she had either. Her tastes certainly sharpened when they stepped into a shop and she immediately latched onto a white bow tie on a display with dozens of other colors. They stuck around that particular store for awhile.

What really made the night, though, was the sheer amount of food that was available. After getting the quick run-down of how digestion worked, everything they passed smelled absolutely wonderful. Colorful candies fresh made from their stalls, savory snacks on sticks and rolled up in paper. Spinel didn’t know where to start. Flavor was a mystery to her beyond doughnuts. Biggs guided her through it anyhow, grabbing a few handfuls of candies at a stop and grabbing some kind of savory puff at a stand, just to see what the small gem liked. Spinel wasn’t all too wild about the puff- it had meat in it, and the thought of _eating_ something that was once alive was a little too weird for her to start out with- but a particular super-sour candy had her popping them down with glee.

It was getting particularly late by the time Biggs and Spinel finally took a break. Biggs had gotten them both gelato as a final treat for the night, and they were sitting at a bench in a small park they had come across. It was getting late enough that nobody was walking through, leaving them well enough alone and out of the way of the loud parts of the city.

Spinel lounged on the bench next to Biggs, finding that while her natural stature was a bit short for being able to swing her feet off the edge. She was plenty comfy enough pulled together, cross-legged and working at her treat with determination not to let the melting bit fall. Biggs was all but draped across the bench.

That… that was fun. She didn’t want to try at first, but it ended up being really nice. They _both_ got to go where they wanted, no gem goading the other out of doing what she wanted to do.

It was nice to know a gem that let Spinel be curious and do what she wanted to do.

But of course, the bliss couldn’t last forever.

"So." Biggs began, her casual pose lounging on the park bench not changing. "Why do you want to avoid the Crystal Gems so badly?"

Spinel nearly dropped her ice cream at the question. "W-what?"

"You said so yourself, you don't want anyone to know you're here."

Everything narrowed. Spinel could feel her hands start to jitter and shake. This was a question she didn’t expect, and didn’t want to answer.

“Already told ya.” Not exactly. It was worth a shot to try to get Biggs off the trail though.

“Tell me again. The honest truth.”

The derail didn’t work. Biggs wasn’t looking any more interested than a moment ago, but Spinel could tell she was sharpened and ready to listen to whatever she had to say.

Spinel took a breath. Time to be honest.

“You want _honesty_?” Biggs nodded. "I guess, it ain't the gems themselves. For the most part. I just don't want them telling Steven I'm here."

"What for?"

"I don't want him to see that I... I gave up. On the Diamonds." Spinel leaned against Biggs' side, finding comfort in the large gem’s form. She twirled a piece of white hair in one hand as she thought. "He came to the palace once, talked to me about giving it time. I told him I would; if he saw that I left, then I'd be a failure. That I couldn't keep it together."

A silent lull in the conversation fell between them. Spinel didn’t want to keep talking about this.

“This isn’t just about Steven.” Biggs observed out loud. “Don’t you want to be better? Over her?” Certainly all the small gem’s problems couldn’t be just about not being loved the way she expected. The fact that Biggs brought it up made Spinel angrily clutch some more of the hair. Did everything always have to loop back to that?

“I don’t _want_ to get better. Not with her.” Spinel decided on it then and insisted on it, though the waver in her voice was enough for Biggs to pick up on it. “I’m fine with healing about the Diamonds. But if I get better about her, then- then it doesn’t matter. Then what Pink did doesn’t matter any more.”

“Why wouldn’t it matter?”

“Because if I’m okay with it, if I just suddenly _forgive_ her for what she did, then it’s like- like it never hurt in the first place! Like I think it’s suddenly okay she left!” Biggs reached over to hold Spinel’s hands as the gem started to tug at her own tied up hair, knowing that if that continued Spinel could really hurt herself. “Steven says I gotta give it time, that I’ve gotta change. But I can’t change if it means pretending the past never happened!”

“It did happen, Spinel.” Biggs comforted her with a gentle voice. “And you never have to forgive Pink. But you do have to be able to move on, figure that what she did doesn’t define you.”

“It’s the one thing that happened to be in thousands of years, pal. I nearly destroyed the earth over it. I look like _this_ because of what she did!” Spinel motioned to the tracks seared down her cheeks. “How could I not be ‘defined’ by it?”

“You like sour candy.” Spinel’s eyes widened as Biggs looked down at her. A pair of eyes peeked through the hair as they met gazes. “You’re a gem that is beloved by the Diamonds, and from what I gather, loves to make them happy. You’re curious, and clever.” Biggs gave her a big pat on the back. “You like to have fun, and like to try new things. I think there’s a lot more that defines you than just having been through what you have. It’s just a matter of finding it.”

She had a point. Spinel averted her eyes, thinking about what Biggs was saying. Was so much of her really able to be separated from the gem she was made for? From the hurt she went through?

“Where do you get your kicks, making a gem feel- feel worth somethin’, like this?”

Biggs would have answered, if she wasn’t interrupted suddenly by lights around them starting to dim and go dark. Large buildings and skyscrapers above them shutting their lights off, one by one, leaving the city steeped in the night. Through the trees, the two could still see first floor storefronts blinking and bright, though noticeably less so than before.

Spinel swiveled, confused at the suddenly changed scene. “Huh?”

“Dark hours.” Biggs filled her in. “Late at night, the city goes dark to save power.” Spinel puffed a humorless laugh.

“That’s a dumb idea. What’s there to saving power?”

“Not everything can stay on all the time. Every now and then, you’ve just got to take a break. See things for what they are.” A gentle glow started to come from Biggs’ gem as she lit up their immediate area in order to keep enjoying their treat. Together the gems looked up at the dark buildings, past them even into the sky. The stars had been hidden behind all the light pollution, but now were visible and twinkling above them.

“Oh.”

Another seam pulled the wound together.

\--- 

The Diamond communication line blinked its little light on the panel, indicating an incoming transmission. All around it, the dome was dark, the warp unused. The message blinked a couple times, waiting for someone to pick up. With no answer it flew up onto the screen, a short written in gem language and translated in broken English, accompanied by an elegant drawing by a particular blue pearl.

‘Have you seen Spinel?’

Steven wouldn’t read it until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY got to the part I wanted to get to. Thanks for reading everyone!


	7. Rusted Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to heat up.

“Do you know how to sleep?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll teach you how, it’s easy. Just close your eyes…”

Biggs had fallen asleep, right out in the open, leaving Spinel to figure out what she had even done, or how to follow her into slumber. She could easily wake the jasper up- she had said so herself, if anything happened- but the moment of contemplation wasn’t necessarily a bad one. It was nice to be near her, but still able to think.

Spinel had a friend.

She had a friend, and she couldn’t afford to mess it up again. Like with Steven, like with Pink, she couldn’t let it break like those ones had.

Spinel liked Biggs. Liked her patience, her willingness to help and show her new things. Biggs liked her too.

Then why did she feel like something was going to happen as soon as she turned her back?

By the time morning came around, the two gems had been in companionable silence for quite some time.

Spinel had been able to tell when Biggs had woken up when the jasper started moving again, stretching and loudly groaning. While they had no bones to pop, surely it still felt nice to stretch out.

“Mornin’.”

“Hi.”

And that’s all they had said. There didn’t need to be anything else. Neither wanted to break the moment with talking; the quiet of the city turned off, the sunrise lighting the leaves of the trees overhead with vibrant yellows and rays of sun from morning dew and fog that had rolled in at some point.

It wasn’t like either one had much to say anyhow.

Their silence lasted all through the sunrise and the city waking up around them, traffic and people starting to pick up with the day. At night, the sheer number of people had been masked off by the loud nature of the town at night. The loud sounds, bright colors and lights, had distracted from just how many others were here.

But now that it was day time, and they were starting to come into the park, Spinel wasn’t quite feeling as comfortable as she had been earlier.

“Biggs?” She was nervous to even admit her discomfort. “It’s startin’ ta get a lil crowded.”

She was lucky that Biggs was quick to pick up on the point. The jasper stood, stretched a little more, and motioned for Spinel to come along.

“We did something I liked last night.” Biggs chatted as they started to retrace their steps back to the warp pad on the hill. “What do you wanna do, Spinel?”

She didn’t know what there was _to_ do on Earth. Most of Spinel’s experience was through someone else at this point, and the choice was something that gave her pause. Biggs didn’t seem to mind the lag in conversation, giving the small gem plenty of time to think as they traversed the steadily busier streets. If she needed time, then she needed time.

“I dunno. What’s there to do on this hunk of planet?” It was more a question to herself than one to Biggs.

They were crossing a street as Spinel was deep in thought as a car honked loudly at them. Biggs continued on, unphased, but Spinel jumped nearly out of her skin.

“_Hey!_ I’m walkin pal, wait ya turn!” She had nearly gone to kick at the car if Biggs hadn’t reached back and grabbed her by the shoulder. Miffed, Spinel huffed and went back to following her. “Someplace quiet would be great. Without so many humans around.”

Biggs knew just the place.

The Strawberry Battlefield was long cleaned up after the gems of Earth were uncorrupted. No longer were the grounds littered with weapons or metal; only the strawberries remained now, unhindered by the natural laws and left to grow and bloom wildly. At this time of year, fruits hadn’t started getting much further than being green. Giant flowers instead were the only sign of the great things that were once here.

“Whoa…” As they warped in, Spinel immediately took in the huge field absolutely plagued by the blooms. Biggs lagged behind her, admiring the scenery but remembering just as much.

“What is this place?”

“Someplace a little more quiet.” Biggs sat herself at the edge of the warp pad, smiling as Spinel started to inspect the large flowers with equal parts curiosity and suspicion. “This was a battlefield, a long time ago.”

“No kidding?” Spinel poked at the strawberry flower she was facing, measuring up. It nearly reached the size of her head. “I heard a bit about the war at the palace. Don’t know all that much; nothing really got to the garden.” She leapt back as a grasshopper appeared, ready to jump on her.

“It’s surprising, you know.” Biggs looked down at her hands. “To hear that. So much of the war was who I was.”

“Whattabout now?”

“I think I’ve got things pretty taken care of.” It was a vague answer and Spinel knew it.

“No no no pal, if I’ve gotta open my sorry gem up to scrutiny after only a day knowin’ you, same thing’s gotta happen right back.” She shook a finger with the gentle scolding. Biggs laughed, loud and into the open air.

“Alright, alright. Guess I’ve just got to get some hobby is all- most of our time after being healed has been construction, but what’s gonna happen when that’s done?”

“What about all the stuff you’ve collected?”

“I can’t collect things forever.”

Spinel held out a hand for the grasshopper to jump onto, marveling at the small creature. Life on earth was fascinating- so much different than that of the garden or other planets. It was peaceful.

“Spine-el!” A voice called from above, distant and faint against the small breeze in the plants. Spinel’s sharp senses caught it anyhow. She frantically looked side to side, wondering where the voice was coming from. “Spine-el!”

She jumped into the large bushes of strawberries, disregarding the grasshopper as she instead hid away. She knew the voice. She knew who was here.

“Spinel?” Biggs had jumped up from where she was sitting, seeing the gem suddenly hide away.

“Shhh! I’m not here!”

“Biggs!” Lapis descended from the sky gracefully, landing in front of the jasper in order to talk. “Hey, have you seen Spinel at all? Pink heart gem on her chest?” Spinel parted a couple leaves to peek in on the conversation.

Please, please, please….

“Don’t see her.” Spinel let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Technically not a lie.

“If you do, tell Steven. All hands on deck trying to find her.” Lapis unfurled her wings and took off again, continuing to call out for Spinel. The pink gem watched for a little longer as the blue gem flew off, thoughts quickly spinning out of control.

“Alright, she’s gone.” Biggs lifted the bushes up to peek at Spinel, motioning for her to come out of hiding. Spinel obeyed wordlessly, shaking her head from strawberry petals and bits of leaves. “I didn’t know they’d be looking, I… We should get you back.” Biggs nodded resolutely. “Back to my place.”

Spinel didn’t say a word. She just nodded, and followed suit. Her mind was spiraling- how did Lapis know? How did any of them know? If everyone was searching for her, word must have spread fast.

She crawled into Biggs’ hair before they warped off again that day, and a thought came to mind that… that she couldn’t believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, it's been super duper busy lately! Sorry that it took so long to update, and a bit of a rushed chapter at that. Thanks for reading!


End file.
